Bernadette Szőcs
Bernadette-Cynthia Szőcs nicknamed "Bernie", (born on 1) is a Romanian professional table tennis player. She won the European doubles title at the European Championships 2022, à Munich associated with the Austrian Sofia Polcanova2.
Career
2011: debut in major championships and first medal
She took part in her first world championships in May at Rotterdam where she lost in the first round to the Singaporean table tennis player Feng Tianwei (2-4).
Along with Camelia Postoaca, she was eliminated in the round of 32 in the women's doubles, and reached the round of 16 in the mixed doubles with her compatriot. Ovidiu Ionescu.
In October 2011, at the European championshipsIn Poland, she reached the team final, where Romania lost to the Netherlands. (0-3) and her first European medal in the professional category.
2012: European podium in mixed doubles
The following year at European championships à HerningIn the singles, Bernadette Szőcs lost to Germany in the last sixteen Wu Jiaduo then with Camelia Postoaca, they lost in the last 16 of the women's doubles to the French pair Li Xue - Xian Yifang (1-3).
At the European Mixed Doubles Championships held in Buzăuin Romaniashe won the bronze medal, again in association with Ovidiu Ionescu3.
2013: new European team final
During the 2013 world championships à ParisShe was eliminated in the first round of the women's doubles and mixed doubles.
At European championships à SchwechatIn October, she reached the last 16 as an individual and then the quarter-finals with her compatriot Cristina Hirici in the women's doubles. She won her second team silver medal with Romania, losing to Germany in the final. (1-3).
At the end of the year, it takes part in World Junior Championships à Rabat and reached the quarter-finals, beaten by the Chinese table tennis player Liu Gaoyang (0-4)
2014: a year of transition
Bernadette Szőcs loses out with Romania in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup? 2014 world team championships against Singapore.
2015: Third European team medal
At 2015 world championships à Suzhoushe eliminates Colombian Angie Umbacia (4-0) in the first round, but lost out to Liu Shiwen in the last 32 (0-4). At the same time, she was eliminated in the first round of the women's doubles and mixed doubles.
During the European championships à Yekaterinburg in September, she reached the round of sixteen in the singles final, losing to Austria's Liu Jia. In the team competition, Romania beat Poland and Ukraine before losing to Germany in the final. (0-3)The result was a third European team silver medal for 'Bernie'.
2016: First Olympic Games
Bernadette did not manage to qualify in the individual category at the qualifications for 2016 Summer Olympics à Rio de Janeiro It did, however, take part in the team competition, where Romania was unfortunately eliminated in the first round by South Korea. (2-3).
The following October, she lost an individual match in the first round of the 2016 European Championships in Budapest, against Spain's Maria Xiao (2-4). Teaming up with Camelia Iacob, she lost in the last 16 of the women's doubles, but won another bronze medal in the mixed doubles with Ovidiu Ionescu.
2017: First European team title
In February she took part in the European Top 16, à AntibesThis competition brings together the top sixteen European table tennis players of the moment. After 2 wins and 1 defeat (against the event's future winner Jie Li), the Romanian finished top of her group but had to bow out. (2-4) against the German Petrissa Solja in the quarter-finals4.
During the world championships à Düsseldorfit is a must for 1er round against Liu Yu-Hsin, before losing in the next round to Austrian table tennis player Liu Jia. She reached the last sixteen in the women's doubles and mixed doubles.
In September, at the European Championships in LuxembourgRomania beat Germany in the team final (3-1) enabling "Bernie" to win her first European team title of her career. She won each of the three matches she played for her team.
At the end of the year, at the brand new T2 Asia-Pacific competition, since renamed T2 Diamond, she won the individual event, beating Liu Fei in the semi-final. (3-2) then Feng Tianwei in the final (5-3)5.
2018: European top 16 win
At the beginning of February, "Bernie" won the first major individual title of his career, taking victory in the European Top 16 à Montreux. The Romanian dominates the competition6. She defeated Tetyana Bilenko in quick succession, Georgina Póta and Matilda Ekholm on the same score of (4-0) before winning the final against last year's winner Jie Li. Bernie beats the Dutchwoman 4 sets to 1 (12-10, 8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7)7.
It then participates in the World Team Championships in Halmstad where Romania lost in the quarter-finals (0-3) in the face of Hong Kong.
In September, she reached the quarter-finals of the European Championships in Alicante by successively disposing of Li Fen, Laura Gasnier and Nina Mittelham but was no match for Austria's Li Qiangbing. She also reached the quarter-finals of the women's doubles (with Elizabeta Samara) and mixed doubles (with Ovidiu Ionescu).
2019: second European team crown
At the beginning of February, she again reached the final of the European Top 16 in Montreux but narrowly lost out in the final to Germany's Petrissa Solja (3-4)8.
During the Budapest World Championships she was beaten in the last sixteen by Hong Kong's table tennis player Minnie Soo Wai Yam. She reached the last 16 in the women's doubles and mixed doubles with her compatriots Elizabeta Samara and Ovidiu Ionescu.
In June, she took part in the European Games in Minsk. If she has to lose individually against Ni Xia Lian in the last 16, but she went on to win the silver medal in the team and mixed doubles (with Ovidiu Ionescu), beaten both times by German teams.
At European Team Championships disputed in NantesRomania defeated France in the quarter-finals, Poland in the semi-finals and Portugal in the final, enabling "Bernie" to win his second European team crown.
2020: season cut short due to Covid-19 pandemic
Due to the Covid-19 pandemicthe 2020 European Championships as well as 2020 Summer Olympicsworld championships have been postponed to 2021 and the Busan are cancelled.
The Romanian still took part in a few Opens at the start of the year, then in the Women's World Cup from 8 to 10 November, where she lost in the last 16 to the Chinese. Chen Meng9
2021: a new European team medal
In June, Bernadette Szőcs took part in the 2020 European Championships postponed to 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. She reached the last sixteen, beaten by Linda Bergstrom after dominating Kornelija Riliskyte in the first round. She was eliminated in the last sixteen of the women's doubles with Adina Diaconu and in the last sixteen of the mixed doubles, again with Ovidiu Ionescu.
In July, she took part in the 2020 Summer Olympics postponed until 2021. In the singles, the Romanian lost in the round of sixteen to the American Juan Liu. She was also eliminated in the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles and the women's team event.
In September, she reached the semi-finals of the European Top 16 held in Thessaloniki at Greece narrowly defeated by Portugal Fu Yu (3-4).
In the wake of this, the European Team Championshipsorganised not far from his home town (Târgu Mureș), à Cluj-Napoca. Romania and Bernadette Szőcs took another silver medal, beaten by Germany in the final.
At the world championships in November in Houstonshe reached the last 16, where she was beaten by Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa (0-4). Associated with the Austrian Sofia PolcanovaThey were eliminated in the round of sixteen in the women's doubles, and then, along with Ovidiu IonescuThey lost in the last 16 of the mixed doubles.
2022: first European title in women's doubles
In February, she once again took part in the European Top 16 à Montreux but this time lost in the quarter-finals to the German table tennis player Han Ying.
At European Championships in Munich in August, after dominating Zdena Blaskova respectively, Georgina Pota and Ni Xia Lianshe was defeated by the Austrian Sofia Polcanova in the quarter-finals of the competition (2-4).
In the company of Austria's Sofia Polcanovathey became European women's doubles champions by beating their Romanian compatriots in the final. Elizabeta Samara and Andreea Dragoman, 3 sets to 0 (18-16, 11-6, 11-9)2.
She also won silver in the mixed doubles with her usual partner Ovidiu Ionescu losing only in the final to the French pair Jia Nan Yuan - Emmanuel Lebesson (1-3)10.
During the world team championships in Chengdu at ChinaBernadette Szőcs's Romania lost in the last 16 against Hong Kong.
2023
Once again qualified for the European Top 16 à MontreuxBernie" reached the quarter-finals, beaten as she was last year by Han Ying.
At World Championships organised Durbanin South AfricaIn the last sixteen she lost to Taiwan's Cheng I-ching (1-4). With her doubles partner Sofia PolcanovaThey reached the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by South Korea. Jeon Ji-hee and Shin Yu-bin. In mixed doubles, in association with Ovidiu IonescuIn the last sixteen, the Romanian pair were beaten by the Japanese duo of Miyuu Kihara and Yukiya Uda.
She was gold medallist in the women's singles and women's teams and bronze medallist in the mixed doubles at the 2023 European Games with Ovidiu Ionescu11.
